Syracuse, N.Y. — The NCAA approved Tyler Roberson's high school transcript on Thursday, clearing the way for the 6-foot-9 freshman to play basketball for the Syracuse Orange this season.

Roberson's admittance to Syracuse University had been held up as the NCAA looked into Roberson's high school grades and standardized test scores to see if he met the minimum requirements for an incoming freshman. At issue, according to sources, were summer school classes that Roberson took earlier this year.

Syracuse University released an official announcement on Thursday afternoon.

"I want to thank the NCAA staff for its help and work on reviewing and processing Tyler's eligibility," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said in the release.

With the NCAA's decision to clear Roberson, Syracuse adds an athletic, rangy forward to its already stacked roster. So what kind of impact will Roberson have on the Orange this season?

Syracuse already boasts two of the best forwards in the country in C.J. Fair, a 6-8 senior who is a candidate for the Atlantic Coast Conference's Player of the Year award, and Jerami Grant, a 6-8 sophomore whose name is already popping up in mock draft boards. And Grant didn't even start two games during Syracuse's four-game exhibition tour of Canada last month as Boeheim went with the two-big lineup featuring 6-9 junior Rakeem Christmas and 6-9 sophomore Dajuan Coleman on the court together.

So where does Roberson fit in?

"He's going to be this year's Jerami Grant,'' ESPN college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman said Thursday. Grant averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds as a freshman. "Grant was a depth guy last year, but he was crucial when (James) Southerland was out of the lineup.

"He's perfect for what they need and that's depth at that position,'' Goodman said. "You've got to have depth and he gives them really good depth.''

Roberson averaged 17.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in leading Roselle Catholic to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title this past season.

In the Tournament of Champions final, Roselle Catholic faced St. Joseph's of Metuchen and its 7-foot center, Kentucky-bound Karl Towns. Roberson dominated the highly-rated Towns, holding him to just seven points; well below his season average of 21.0 per game. Roberson, meanwhile, had 19 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

"Tyler was the difference in that game,'' Adam Zagoria of SNYtv.com said. "The kid's a warrior. He just took over in the second half of that game.''

Zagoria sees Roberson as a power forward whose game is trending toward that of a small forward.

"He's the perfect Syracuse forward,'' Zagoria said. "He's long and athletic. He can shoot it out to 20 feet, but he's still got a lot of work to do on his face-up game and ball-handling.''

Evan Daniels of Fox Sports and Scout.com said Roberson will benefit from being able to spend this year in the Syracuse program.

"Getting him in their weight-training program will be important,'' Daniels said. "He'll be a valuable asset this year and even more so down the road.''

Syracuse will lose Fair after this season. The Orange could also lose Grant, although that remains to be seen. The only other senior on the roster is reserve center Baye Moussa Keita. Meanwhile, Syracuse already has commitments from two players in the 2014 class — 6-9 forward and Top 10 recruit Chris McCullough of Brewster (N.H.) Academy and highly-regarded point guard Kaleb Joseph out of Cushing (Mass.) Academy.

"They're setting themselves up to sustain a high level of success for the next couple of years,'' Goodman said. "It's really impressive what they're doing. Getting Roberson cleared for this year just keeps things rolling.''